Blackhawks' Bryan Bickell remains out after hit vs. Blues

Team being cautious with physical winger with playoffs approaching

March 25, 2014|By Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune reporter

It appeared Bryan Bickell had turned the corner on a difficult season before "an innocent hit" sidelined the Blackhawks winger.

Bickell missed his third consecutive game with an upper-body injury when the Hawks faced the Stars on Tuesday night at the United Center. He was injured during a collision with a Blues player March 19 but is skating with teammates and will travel with the Hawks when they embark on a three-game trip Wednesday.

"It was a physical game," Bickell said of the Blues game. "It was just an innocent hit I gave and I finished the game but didn't feel comfortable to move on, so we just took a couple of days off to help it."

With the postseason looming, the Hawks are being cautious with a player whose physical play can have an impact on games.

"There are a long couple of months coming up," Bickell said. "I need to be 100 percent to help out this team. Before it happened, things were going the right way. I just need to bring my mindset back to where that was. Playoffs are typical of my game. I need to be healthy and bring my game then."

It would be difficult to top Jonathan Toews' debut. The Hawks captain scored on his first shot on goal Oct. 10, 2007, against the Sharks.

"I just had a weird feeling that if the puck landed on my stick, I was going to find a way to score a goal," Toews said Tuesday. "When I go out with a feeling like that, I feel loose and I feel like the puck's going to come to me. Sure enough, I was able to score on my first shot.

"It was pretty exciting looking back and pretty amazing I caught a bounce like that. For any player, it's a special moment, and I definitely enjoyed it."

Still out:Michal Rozsival missed his fourth consecutive game with a lower-body injury.

"(Rozsival) is going to be skating … the next couple of days, so when we get back we'll have a better assessment," coach Joel Quenneville said. "He's getting there."

David Rundblad served as the Hawks' sixth defenseman against the Stars, his third appearance since being acquired from the Coyotes in a March 4 trade.

Coming soon: Quenneville said backup goaltender Antti Raanta "likely" will get a start against the Bruins or Senators as the Hawks kick off the trip with back-to-back games beginning Thursday night in Boston.

Raanta has appeared in just two of the last 18 games as Corey Crawford has handled the load.

New addition: The Rockford IceHogs, the Hawks' minor league affiliate, signed defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk to an AHL contract for the remainder of the season. Van Riemsdyk, the younger brother of the Maple Leafs' James van Riemsdyk, signed a two-year deal with the Hawks on Monday that takes effect in the 2014-15 season.